


Corvus

by Eccentric_Bambi



Series: Gaze-Tober [17]
Category: the GazettE
Genre: Curses, False Memories, Fictober, Happy Ending, Mystery, Paranormal, Plot Twists, Psychological Horror, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-01-26 17:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12562384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eccentric_Bambi/pseuds/Eccentric_Bambi
Summary: Mie was always such a quiet and peaceful town, it's rural location a haven from the busy city of Tokyo. So when Aoi finally goes home after so long he doesn't expect to be met with something sinister slumbering in the town's depths.FICTOBER





	1. See no Evil

**Author's Note:**

> #17: Going back to his home in the countryside Aoi becomes fixated on a creepy scarecrow. At first, he thought it was made of sacks and hay, but upon further inspection, he finds a man about his own age tied to the post with a bag over his head. He thinks the man is dead until he hears him start to cry.
> 
> Okay starting with creepiness! I needed to really think this one through lmfao  
> It will have three parts, because I still have to finish the other prompts as well ; x ;

Aoi had always hated walking alone in Mie, especially at night. 

But something felt... horribly different. Eerie and quiet. The bus stop was almost deserted, even at only seven in the afternoon. He had expected to see someone waiting but there was no one. Even the small building that at least one person would be sitting in was completely void of life.

'What's going on?' He wonders to himself and shifts the backpack he had on over his left shoulder to his right. A chill was in the air, forcing him to pull his sweater on even tighter. The street lamps that led into the town were on but weak, their bulbs barely sparking with orange dull light.

"I should get home," he muttered to himself and started a slow trot to his parent's house. "They're expecting me."

It was uneventful, which was worrying. He usually was met by a kid playing or a dog running around but the streets were empty. No cars were on the roads, and the few houses around looked dark and abandoned, the only signs of life being the cars parked in front. What the hell happened?

Panicking he jogged even faster to his parent's house, knowing he had to cross through a few rice and hay fields to take the usual shortcut if he wanted to avoid traffic. But this time, it was because he was worried.

The last time he was here his hometown was bustling and lively despite the glaring isolation of rural life. Farmers and workers were in abundance and he always had someone to talk to when he came back from Tokyo. But the empty cold void where chatter and laughing would be sent his nerves aflame.

So with no hesitation, he began to follow his memory and started jogging down a familiar back road that would take him home.

He was breathing heavily just as he was about to cross through the last rice field when he noticed something strange. A looming figure was set up in the next field over, the one he knew was off limits. His heart pounds in his chest, forcing him to take deep breaths.

The field belonged to an old and isolated farmer, the one everyone knew was a little odd. It was even fenced off with barbed wire and tall wooden posts but they were wide enough that people could easily slip through. Not that anyone would though, he was terrifying.

Aoi stopped to catch his breath and gets out his phone to turn on the flashlight. As he flashed it over the figure, he almost sighed in relief. Just a scarecrow it seemed like, and a very impressive one at that. A thick padded sack acted as the head with a crude face drawn on in what looked like a marker or black paint. A worn out and faded white overalls and a thick white jacket was all it was comprised of, with barbed wire poking out this way and that. It was rather impressive if Aoi did say so himself.

Laughing at himself he continued on, turning off his flashlight despite the pitch blackness of the field. He knew his way by now, the dark was nothing to him.

Easily enough he came upon his old house, the last one in a long line of houses separated by fields. It was a sight for sore eyes, his body immediately walking forward. But as he approached he noticed that all the lights were off, and no one seemed to be waiting up for him. That was not a good sign.

Hurriedly he walked up to the door and knocked on it.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!"

There was silence at first before he heard shuffling coming from inside and he stepped back to examine his house. It looked... years older than it was. Were they taking care of it? There was cracking paint, and what looked to be a long red streak of red paint over the front door. Were they planning to repaint it? 

Finally, the door creaks open slowly and there he is met with his parents. And he can already tell that something is wrong. His mother was small and frail naturally, but she looked like death. With sickly pale skin and hollowed cheeks, she looked like a walking zombie. His father was haggard and looked like he hadn't shaven in weeks. Both had empty almost soulless gazes on their faces. But as he came into view the almost lifeless eyes of his mother brightened just a little, but he saw no light in them from before.

"Ah... Yuu," she comes in a crackling and weak voice. "You're home... my son is home."

Yet she made no move to hug him, looking like she was about to fall over any second.

"Mother," he gasped and rushed forward to help her stand. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to collapse!"

His father grunted in response and slowly turned around to go back inside, leaving them at the door.

Aoi could feel the bones on his mother's body under her thin shirt and realized how skinny she was. Had she not been eating properly?

"Come on, let's get you inside, you need to eat something."

"Yuu... my dear son..."

As though she was in a trance, she kept saying the same thing over and over, none of her worried and mothering tones were to be found. She didn't even put up a fuss as he dragged her to the soft family couch where he checked her temperature and felt how cold she was.

"Oh my... you're cold, mother. What's the matter?"

She didn't answer but just kept cooing at him in that same lifeless but warm voice.

"Yuu... Yuu..."

His father had long since sat in his favorite chair nearest the space heater that kept them warm. He didn't say a single thing since Aoi arrived, making him even more worried. Usually, the gruff but caring older man would launch into a tirade of question after question, wondering about his life in Tokyo or if he had met anyone yet.

But he was quiet, his face in a listless stare as his eyes kept themselves trained on Aoi. That was scaring him a lot. 

"Have you eaten? I'll make us something to eat."

His mother chirped that she hadn't and he frowned, trying to ignore the way she seemed unwilling to let him go. But she was too weak to resist as he pulled away and went to turn on the kitchen light. It was so dark in here, the only light they had was the moonlight coming in through the thin white curtains. However as his hand so much as went for the switch a loud barking growl stopped him dead in his tracks. 

"Don't do it boy," his father growled. "The lights stay off in this house. Do you need light? Then wait for morning."

For a split second Aoi pictured the scarecrow standing in that field, looming eerily through the darkness of the night. Weirded out he shakes it off to protest loudly, but then his mother was seen clearly shaking and closing her eyes. His temper dissipated and he swallowed.

"But... you guys need to eat something, this isn't healthy," he argued. But his father was stubborn, anger flaring in his eyes.

"Wait. For morning," he growled again and then got up to stalk to the bedroom he shared with his wife. 

"What the... Dad!"

But the door slammed closed, and Aoi sighed. Something was wrong, but he couldn't let his mother continue to starve herself like this. 

"Yuu... My dear son..."

They were both sick with something, that much was obvious. All the more reason for Aoi to take care of them. They were getting older, so maybe that would explain their behavior. He sighed to himself and got out his phone to use as a light, not wanting to invoke his father's unwarranted wrath.  Something was wrong, but he couldn't let his mother continue to starve herself like this.

It took him a while, but he managed to make her a quick bowl of rice and udon noodles, thankful for his parent's well stocked if untouched pantry. He helped her sit at the kotatsu by the heater and waited for her to start eating, but she only continued to stare at him, her eyes sullen and unblinking as she mumbled his name over and over. 

"Mother," he murmured and scoots close to her. "What's the matter with you?" 

His heart was starting to ache at the strangeness of this whole situation. His parents were clearly scared of the light coming on, and he wondered why. Another flash of the scarecrow made a cold chill run down his spine, but he chalked it up to being early fall. It was going to be Halloween in a few days, and the cold season would be starting soon. 

He spent some of the night making sure his mother at least ate some of the food he made before tucking her into bed. His father was already fast asleep, and he thanked the Gods that he was a heavy sleeper. 

His own room was as untouched as he had left it, his old high school posters and books still in their places on walls and bookshelves. Even his bed was still in its usual place under the window, the sheets looking somewhat dirty but untouched. He would have to wash them in the morning if he really planned to stay here for the week of time he had off.

It's already been so long since he left home, a whole eight years. Working as a somewhat famous musical producer brought him so far from home, but it was nice to come back sometimes. 

But this time was different. They were acting strangely and didn't ask him about his life like they usually did. He just hoped they would be okay by morning. So after brushing his teeth and changing into sleep clothes, he went to bed, hoping for morning to come sooner rather than later. He didn't know if he could handle this.

 

 

** TBC **


	2. Hear no Evil

For some reason, when Yuu woke up the next morning things seemed... Normal. When he got up he could hear birds chirping outside the window of his room, he could hear dogs barking and children squealing with laughter. What happened? Was all of what happened last night a fever dream? Was he just so tired that he imagined all of that? 

Only one way to find out...

He quietly slipped out of his room, finding all the windows open and light shining in all the hallways. He takes care of brushing his teeth and fixing his hair in the bathroom across the hallway before deciding to look for his parents. 

To his surprise, they were both in the kitchen, with his mother over the stove and his father reading a paper at the table. Something smelled really good too. 

"Okaa-san? Otou-san?" he quietly peeped. They both turned to him and he felt his chest nearly collapse with relief. They looked normal, just the way they should have been. Both had full glowing faces and cheery attitudes. The kitchen light was on and lit up the once dark and dreary space from last night.

Maybe he was dreaming. 

"Yuu! Good morning, my dear!" his mother happily peeped. "I hope you had a good sleep! Last night you were so tired that you just immediately went to bed. I can imagine your trip must have tired you out."

Nodding, he sat at the table with his dad, who smiled at him as though nothing had happened. 

"Yeah I... Tokyo is a long way away," he chuckled and ruffled his own hair. "What you making?"

She continued to stir a pot on the stove and tended to a small rice maker nearby. 

"Rice and Miso soup! I hope you're hungry!" 

At the mention of food, his stomach growled and he smiled. 

"Yeah, I guess so."

At her happy smile, he sighed and looked at the table of his childhood, unchanged after all these years. That must have been an intense dream last night... This was definitely far better than what he had led himself to believe. 

He was content to just sit in silence until his father spoke up. 

"So, Yuu, how is your job in Tokyo going?"

Ah, there was his father's natural curiosity. Maybe everything really was fine. 

"It's great. My best friend named Kouyou is working there with me too, and he's really nice. He and his boyfriend Kai are some of the most wonderful people I know..."

*********

The day passed by rather normally. He went with his mom to the small but well-known market closest to the river going behind the town where they bought rice and fish. He helped his dad make some small nets for catching fish. Heck, he even went on his own to finish the high school he graduated from not so long ago. It was early afternoon now, meaning students would be going home. 

He got there and felt a wave of nostalgia hit him. It was still as small as ever, two small stories,  and sighed wistfully. Hopefully, no one would recognize him.

Though, thanks to the internet and cell towers being present, he wasn't too careless. 

Slipping in and out of the small flow of students going home he managed to feel relief as he went straight to the top floor and to a classroom closest to him on the left. His old senior classroom. He wondered if his teacher from before still worked here. 

He knocks on the door softly as to not make too much noise, and upon hearing a confirmation from inside he opens the door. The classroom is pretty much the same as in Tokyo, just smaller. A few desks, educational posters on walls. The large bay windows were opened to let in fresh air and sunlight. Sunlight that, in a few hours would be gone. 

And sitting at the desk was someone who he hadn't seen before. It wasn't his old teacher, rather someone new. A young man, maybe a little younger than him, sat there now. Short dark hair, black rimmed glasses, and full brown eyes. He wore a simple gray suit with a black tie and tapped away at a laptop. 

"Oh, hello," the man chirped at him. "Who are you?"

Good, he wasn't recognized. 

"Um, my Name is Shiroyama Yuu," he began and walks up to the man. "I was looking for Abe-sensei? Is he still here?"

At the name, the man's smile falters a little bit and he sighs, taking off his glasses to put away before standing up. 

"Ah, I am afraid Abe-san hasn't worked here in two years. He... became ill, and passed away a year ago. I took over his place... I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

Yuu's earlier excited attitude quickly drained away from him, leaving behind a hollow empathy and sadness. Why didn't his family ever send word about this? 

"Oh... I see. Um... That's too bad, I was hoping to come see him before I left."

The man tilts his head and sticks his hands in his pockets. 

"Hmm, so you were a previous student I see. Well, I apologize. My name is Matsumoto Takanori, but you may call me Takanori-sensei."

He was nice if a bit on the short side. But he bowed in response before shaking his hand. 

"You can call me Shiromaya-san," he chuckled. "I am older than you after all."

He stayed there for a good half hour just talking to him, learning about him as they talked. Takanori was a year younger than him, coming here to teach from Kanagawa. He knew Abe-sensei through a few people and decided he wanted to be a teacher from him. 

Before Yuu knew it, it was nearing seven at night, far later than he expected to be here. The sun was almost ready to go down and he figured it was time to go.

"Thank you for telling me about him. He was my favorite teacher, I am just regretful that I couldn't meet him before he passed. I guess I should pay his family a visit."

Takanori smiled and nodded before going back to his desk. 

"Good night, I hope you plan on going home before dark, Shiroyama-san," he suddenly says as Yuu was about to leave. "Leave Abe-san's family for the morning."

"What? Why?'

He turned to look at Takanori, feeling his face drain of color at the sudden drop of temperature in the room. The once kind smile was replaced by a stern frown on the teacher's face, and he was serious as ever. 

"This place is different, Yuu-san. It's best if you go home soon."

"What do you mean, different?" he asked again. "I have to know, this is my home. I deserve to know."

Takanori sighed and started to put things into a briefcase, laptop and all. 

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to," he mumbles before getting up to leave, locking the door and shuffling past Yuu before disappearing down the steps. 

Dumbfounded it took Yuu a few seconds to snap out of his stupor before also deciding to leave. 

He didn't see Takanori downstairs and had to assume that he left right away. Well, he could assume that since Takanori was a new face around here, he had a lot of things to learn. 

He began to walk back and everything seemed normal, but then as he reached the road that would lead to his house he felt... A prickling on the back of his neck. Like there was a sensation of being watched. None of the streetlights were coming on, staying dark even as the sun was slowly crawling its way down the horizon. Soon, the blanket of cold darkness would settle on his house, and that knowledge alone was enough to make his legs work harder than normal. 

He ran all the way back, not once stopping to notice the empty deadened streets, the lack of noises and people not once occurring to him. And like before, he took the small shortcut across the fields to his house. He had his phone and turns on the light like before.

The last field was where the prickly feeling increased, and his legs stopped as he was on the outer edges of the field. Something was keeping him frozen here. He swallowed and looked behind him towards the wooden beams that blocked off the field of corn, the prickling feeling made the blood in his veins feel like ice.

It was the scarecrow. It was still there. Only now, it was looking straight at him through the tall and dead rows of vegetables. The bag hid what he imagined to be a face twisted in pain and terror. A mental image that was sure to haunt him should he ever find out the truth. 

There was a deafening silence, even as his heart pounded in his ears. All he could hear was the deathly howl of fear. Then, in a sudden flash, he left the darkness of night to finally run over the edges of the field he was trapped in and to his house, not once looking back. He turned off the flashlight, remembering his father's words. 

_'Don't turn on the lights.'_

And as he crashed through the door, the last remnants of sunlight left the town. His mother and father were where they were before, unmoving in front of the heater. He cried softly, the fear and adrenaline making him hysterical. He knew why they didn't want to turn on the lights. It was because of that thing. The Scarecrow.

Yuu sniffled and shuffled his way to his mother, his arms circling around her to whimper into her arms, ignoring the cold stares and soft mumbling whispers of his name. He felt like a child again, scared of the dark and regressing back to his old ways.

But this time, the fear was real. 

"It wasn't a dream," he whined, tears marring his pale face. "Something is happening. I know I have no choice but to find out what."

Yuu knew that he had come to a place that was no longer his dear and precious home. It was just another nightmare. A nightmare he could not wake up from.

 

** TBC **


	3. Feel No Evil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right! Here is the ending! This is intense stuff. (Or at least i try)

****He had broken the rule. Only four days after coming here, he had broken the sacred rule of this town.

Never leave the house. Never turn on the lights. Never make any noises that could attract people. Or... things.

Aoi stopped listening to the voices screaming in his head on the second day and tried to find a way out of this mess.

He learned it's patterned times, it's inner workings. Once the sun set it was like this place became a whole other dimension. The warmth left the streets, it's pavement roads becoming dark snakes to tempt one to try and escape. The trees went from being beautiful things of nature to evil guardians preventing people from leaving. And as the sun left, the people became lightless living zombies. Their gaunt appearances seemed almost ghostly, as though without light, their very souls seemed to shrink into nothingness.

All of it was only topped off by the unseen evil that was terrorizing these people, keeping them from living their lives.

His hometown was lost, but he would try to get it back.

So far, Aoi was the only one not affected so that was what kept him going. These people seemed to be underneath a sort of curse or spell, how else would it explain their behavior?

It all started the third day. He was coming home from the market as usual, but it seemed like the town had other ideas. It was getting darker earlier by every day. And at barely six o clock at night the sun was already set to disappear beyond the distant horizon behind the mountains.

So he was caught off guard by the sudden blanket of darkness leaving him stranded on the road. It seemed like this town was trying to swallow him up, but he was resisting to the best of his extent. However, his own patience with this place was wearing thin.

He worked tirelessly to find out secrets here, to find things that could allude to the plight that had this town in its clutches. Yet, he seemed to be grasping at straws.

Every time he suspected the scarecrow and wanted to check it out, he was afraid of the old farmer finding him skulking around his fields. And at night, he was afraid of the unseen and unknown evil that was supposedly giving this town it's fear of light.

But this time, it was his turn to be afraid. His house was still a mile from here, so he had no choice but to try and hurry back. No shortcuts through fields, no side streets. Just the straight way back.

Without the sun keeping his way lit he knew he had to break the rule of this place and switched on the flashlight of his phone. Yet once the beam of light hits the streets he was in, the air seemed to still. The air grew deathly silent, and he could feel his breath freezing into puffs of ice.

He was vaguely aware of a sensation prickling feeling on his skin. A sort of... feeling of being watched. But no matter where he turned as he walked or what alleyways he looked down he saw nothing. Yet Aoi knew better than to ignore it. It wasn't just a feeling, he knew it was true. So maybe it wasn't a bad thing he couldn't see it. Would he want to?

He figures halfway back that no, he doesn't. He'd rather go home knowing he won't have nightmares than face the thing lurking here. Only three days then he could go home. And this time, he would make sure everything was fixed. And if he had to, he would take his parents with him.

Those thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a new sensation arose, this time in his brain. It was like a tugging sensation lulling him back to his house. So he followed it and got close enough to his house that he could see it from a few years away.

But then he felt the tugging start to pull him in the direction of the fields, and he grew increasingly worried. He couldn't be out here any longer, he had to get home... Yet the pull was almost irresistible. And as he got closer he heard it. A sound that both sent shivers down his spine and made him want to turn tail to the house. It was a gentle but ominous tone that everyone around the world knew.

The sound of crying. Soft and subtle but ominous and haunting. It was... male, obvious from the low and deep tone. And it was coming... from the fields. Specifically the old farmer's field.

Aoi could feel a cold sweat breaking out and he swallowed, gripping the bags in his hands tight. Maybe he could drop these off and investigate. Maybe...

"No," he whispered and shut his eyes against the sound pulling him closer to the fields. "No, I have to go home. Mom will be worried..."

It took all his self control to just March straight to his house and eagerly seek out the door handle and open it up. His parents were asleep now, meaning he could do as he wished. Which made another thought cross his mind. One that was sure to sway his earlier resolve.

"Maybe this is my chance."

Quickly he stuffed away the things he got and made sure the house was still and dark before getting his jacket and a big knife from the kitchen. He takes a deep breath, still feeling that pull from before. This was either going to be a big breakthrough for him or a grave mistake.

But he wouldn't know unless he acted, so that was what he was going to do. And if he dies then at least he died trying to protect his home. People in Tokyo would be sad, but that was life.

Aoi shivered through the death like chill hanging in the darkness and could feel his heart ready to leap out of his rib cage from how hard it was beating. This was crazy. This was super fucking crazy but he knew he had no choice. No one else was going to do it, so he was the only one.

The door barely made any noise as he slipped outside the house, the knife tucked away into one of his inside jacket pockets. This was the only way to know for sure if this place was cursed. All his dreams had been filled with images of this damn scarecrow, now he was going to swallow down his fear and confront this. If there was an Oni or some kind of demon attached to it then he would make it go away. 

The air in his lungs seemed to thicken with the tension lingering outside. Everything was pitch dark even under the moon. Something felt... different now. Something a little more ominous. He trudged past the sidewalk of his house and neared the fields that held the scarecrow. He silently walked through the now dying rice field that neighbored the evil feeling cornfield, feeling the stalks scratch at his clothes. Then as he got closer he heard it again. The crying, only now it was definitely coming from that damn field. Aoi swallowed as fear caused his heart to go nuts in his chest. 

The crying was soft and beckoned him closer and closer, his hands coming to rest on the wooden fence poles keeping the fields separated. He didn't realize he as crawling over the low barbed wire until he was already on the other side. When did he...

**_Help..._ **

A single word echoed into the field, a voice deep yet weak with pain. Aoi frowned before slowly walking forward. Now surrounded by the corn stalks, it was difficult to judge where the scarecrow was, but he imagined it was somewhere in the middle of this field. It couldn't be that hard to find. 

Well, after a solid five minutes of slowly inching is way forward he heard no other voices, no other sounds other than his hands pushing away the stalks. He was ready to give up when he felt a strong pulsing in his brain. Was he close? 

**_Help me..._ **

There was the voice again! Now it was much closer to him, making his legs feel heavier than normal. His quick pace slowed, and he shook from the sudden coldness surrounding his body. Something was wrong. This wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to be this quiet. 

Before he could stop walking, however, he found himself suddenly in a small barely noticeable circle. And consequently, face to face with the scarecrow. That was what made him finally stop walking and freeze in place.

It was much more terrifying up close, of that he was certain. A large wooden pole held it up a good three feet off the ground with the arms forcibly down at its side with more barbed wire. The burlap sack over what he assumed was no longer just a bundle of hay was looking straight at him, the black paint streaked down its face to mimic small beady eyes seemingly staring into his very soul.  

Aoi couldn't move, it was like he was under some kind of spell. And when he began to hear the voice again, it was too late to notice the dark shadows leering at him from within the surrounding corn stalks. He swallowed and heard the cries again, this time weakly from the creepy figure itself. A person... It was a person! 

Quickly he rushed over to try and get the person down, having to reach up high to get to its face so he could get the bag off. It's cold and feels rough, but he manages to get a good hold on it to finally give it a yank. What he sees underneath makes him immediately regret ever coming back home. 

It was a guy. Covered in thick scars and a white fabric over his nose. His eyes were wide open with bloodshot silver eyes under the messy head of light brunette hair, and more wire wrapped around his face. And he is grinning, as though Aoi had done exactly what he wanted. 

 ** _"Hello, dearest_** ** _human_** ," comes the same deep voice from before.  ** _"Thank you for freeing me. Now I shall reward you."_**

As the guy moved to effortlessly rip away the wire holding him prisoner Aoi scrambled back to the ground and into the arms of a person he didn't even see standing there behind him. He flailed and screamed in protest until a familiar voice cooed in his ear. 

**_"Shh, shh, calm down, Yuu-kun."_ **

Wide eyed the raven looked back into the face of none other than Takanori. What was he doing here? 

"Taka... Takanori-sensei?" he squeaks. The man smiled at him, ignoring the sounds of the pole falling over and a man falling on the ground in front of them. 

**_"You should have listened to me, boy. Now you've gone and done it haven't you?"_ **

His words would have made him seem sad if it weren't for the suddenly crazed grin on his face. What was going on?? He couldn't even form a proper sentence as Takanori suddenly put a finger to his mouth to keep him quiet. Was he involved in all of this?

 ** _"Shh, it's okay. This is good,"_** the man laughs in a sharp hiss.  ** _"This is good! You helped him, Yuu-kun. You helped free him, and now, we can all go home!"_**

Aoi swiveled back to the man he freed when he heard the sound of the wooden pole snapping in half. He was tall, terrifyingly so. He was still covered in the wire but that didn't seem to bother him. He stood over the two still on the ground, his crazed eyes eagerly raking over Aoi and he grinned, his tongue flicking out. 

 ** _"Yuu,"_** he chirps.  ** _"Dear, precious Yuu. Allow me to reintroduce myself."_**

He smiled and rose his arms above his head. A few seconds passed before an incredible things began to happen. All around him the corn stalks bend and wilt helplessly to the ground, flattening themselves under a great force. Then he sees it. A great orange inferno had begun somewhere deep in the forest. It was far enough to not worry, but if they waited long enough it would certainly reach them. 

The terror in his throat prevents him from breathing as he stared up at the terrifying creature, still being pinned down by Takanori. 

**_"My name is Reita. And you have finally broken the seal that was keeping me a prisoner here on Earth. But you came for me. Now, we can return home. Come to us, Yuu. Come to me."_ **

Then he reached out a hand for Aoi, ignoring the way the raven flinched and made another effort to scramble away. Takanori laughed and squeezed his arms with an unnatural strength, causing him to cry out at the strain on his muscles. 

 ** _"Now now, Yuu! If you try to escape, this place will pay the price!"_**  He said with a happy but threatening tone.  ** _"If you want to save these people and your dearest mother and father, then it is best if you listen to us. We'll even let you go home! What do you say?"_**

Even so, Takanori continued to squeeze his arms, and Reita was grinning down at him with such a hungry and predatory gaze that he felt ice building up in his veins. What did they want him to do?? Go with them to some unknown place and leave his parents behind?? 

"What do you want from me?" he whimpered, tears finally leaving his eyes. "I don't want to die!"

Reita chuckled suddenly, a deep and rich tone that made Aoi swallow thickly. The creature kneeled down in front of him, their eyes clashing in a mix of rich chocolate brown and ethereal silver. 

**_"You won't die. I just want you to come back with me. This was meant to be. You were destined for this, and the town called you back home. I waited for such a long time, you know. But now we're together again. Just like before."_ **

What... was he talking about? They never met! Right? 

"I don't even know you!" he cried out. "I only know my life here and my life in Tokyo! I don't know you!"

He smiled even wider and made a gesturing noise to somewhere behind them, towards the direction of his house. Then he hears footsteps, a sound that rose goosebumps on his arms. 

 ** _"Don't be so sure of that,"_**  Takanori laughs.  ** _"You were always with us, you just don't remember us, but we remember you, Aoi."_**

As they said his name, a sharp pain pulsed through his skull, forcing a scream to get wrenched out of his throat and tears to pour from his eyes even worse than before. 

"It hurts! It hurts!"

What was this terrible pain?? Why did it feel like his skull was going to break open??

 ** _"It's okay,"_**  another voice cooed at him suddenly through the heavy ringing in his ears.  ** _"We're here, Aoi."_**

He knew that voice..!

"Uruha..? What..."

His eyes shut and he writhed on the ground, his head in agony as Takanori let him go. 

**_"Come back to us, Aoi. Please."_ **

Another voice. 

"Kai..?"

Why were they here? And why are they cooing at him like they knew what was going on?

**_"Remember, Aoi."_ **

They kept urging him on, their voices seemingly causing images to flash in his head, images that confused him.

**_"Remember us."_ **

**_"Come back to us."_ **

Aoi grit his teeth, his head in his hands as the pain grew worse to the point that he screamed even more. 

"Make it stop!"

He cried hoarsely now, his throat feeling raw and burning for air. Soon their voices overlapped into a deafening cacophony of noise, making him go insane.

**_Just remember us._ **

**_Come home, Aoi. Please._ **

**_Remember._ **

**Come back.**

** Remember. **

** Come back. **

Then in a flash of red and white, he gasped, feeling a sensation akin to fire licking at his skin, causing him to scream even more. Then it stopped, and a new overload of images and memories flooded into his brain. Something in his head snapped and he stopped moving.

"Aoi? Are you there?"

The pain stopped in a gradual pulsing and he opens his eyes, now all bloodshot. But a new color replaced the once soft innocence of brown. The color of the bluest sky tinged with black.

"Aoi..."

He saw his friends. Uruha. Kai. Takanori. And he saw him. Reita. He was in an elegant but simple room on a bed that cradled his back in feathers. They were all around him, their faces worried. 

"You're back," the man cooed at him, and he smiled. "You're finally back with me."

He  _remembered_ them.

His name was not Yuu Shiroyama. He didn't live in Mie, he had no parents. All of this was a dream caused by an illness that forced him into a deep coma, forcing his brain to go back to when he was human. It erased all traces of his life, all traces of him ever being here. And now it was over.

He swallowed and traced his tongue over the sharp teeth resting in his mouth, sighing in relief. 

And as they all gave him the same sharp smiles, he knew he was back. Then Reita got onto his knees on the bed and without warning attacked his neck with a flurry of teeth, sinking them into his flesh. He moaned as he felt his mate draining his blood carefully, and smiled wide with his eyes rolling into his skull.

This was his family, his coven. His  _home._

 

** END **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wah! Plot twists, I love them! Please tell me your thoughts! :D


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